Laboratory of Cell Death and Cancer Therapy

Our research focuses on: a) the discovery of novel targets and drugs triggering selective tumor cell death; b) lipid rafts and their role in cell death; c) the mechanism of action of the so-called antitumor alkylphospholipid analogs (APLs), especially the ether phospholipid edelfosine, the first lipid raft-targeted antitumor drug, using different biological systems (mammalian cells, yeast, C. elegans); d) neutrophil biology, inflammation and cancer; e) neutrophils and cancer; f) the molecular mechanisms of membrane-targeting antitumor APLs as a way to identify novel targets in cell death regulation with multiple therapeutic indications. We are also studying the underlying mechanisms involved in the anti-parasitic action of APLs, especially in leishmaniasis, as well as their potentiation through: a) combination therapy with distinct agents, including thpse affecting tubulin, and signal transduction; b) nanotechnology approaches.